Boston, Fenerbahce open NBA Europe Live 2012 in Istanbul!

BOSTON CELTICS TO PLAY FENERBAHCE ULKER ISTANBUL AS PART OF NBA EUROPE LIVE 2012 PRESENTED BY GARANTI BANK™

The 17-time NBA Champion Boston Celtics will play a preseason game against five-time Turkish Champions Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul of the Euroleague on October 5, 2012 at the state-of-the-art Ulker Sports Arena as part of NBA Europe Live 2012 presented by Garanti Bank™, it was announced today by the National Basketball Association (NBA), Euroleague Basketball and BBVA.

The sixth edition of the NBA Europe Live Tour continues the tradition of NBA teams travelling to the continent to play in a series of preseason games against top Euroleague opposition.

Tickets for the game at the newly opened Ulker Sports Arena go on at the end of the week with details to be announced.

“We are thrilled to be welcoming one of the NBA’s most storied franchises, the Boston Celtics, to Turkey as part of the NBA Europe Live 2012 presented by Garanti Bank,” said Naci Cansun, Senior Director NBA Turkey. “Turkey has been the destination for multiple NBA events in recent years as the sport continues to captivate and excite our ever growing fan base. With the support of Euroleague Basketball, Garanti Bank and our partners, this exciting matchup further demonstrates our dedication to bringing live events to our fans in Turkey.”

Istanbul is the opening stop of a four-city tour with games also scheduled for Berlin and Milan as part of NBA Europe Live 2012 presented by BBVA. Following the game in Istanbul, the Celtics will travel to Milan, Italy, where they will play EA7 Emporio Armani at the Mediolanum Forum on Oct. 7. The 2011 NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks will play against Alba Berlin at the O2 World in Berlin on Oct. 6 before playing a second game in Spain with details to be announced in the near future.

“Since 2006 both of the leading basketball competitions, Euroleague Basketball and the NBA, have been coming together to offer fans spectacular basketball and this year is no exception,” said Roser Queralto, Euroleague Basketball’s Chief Business Development Officer. “Some of the best and historic teams from the NBA will face off with some of the strongest Euroleague and European teams for some exciting preseason games to warm up for the next season.”

Following the NBA Europe Live Tour 2012, over 450,000 fans will have attended 32 Europe Live games in 12 cities since the inaugural NBA Europe Live series that took place in 2006. In total, 60 games featuring 24 NBA teams will have been played in 18 cities in Europe since 1988.

As part of a multi-year partnership, BBVA – the official bank of the NBA – will serve as the presenting partner of NBA Europe Live for the first time, with Turkish Bank Garanti, which is part owned by BBVA, to present the game in Istanbul. adidas will also return as a Pan-European partner, a position it has held for all six editions of the tour. AmEx will also return as a partner providing premium ticket access to Cardmembers across the Tour.

“BBVA is happy to be bringing the excitement of the NBA to fans in Germany, Italy and Spain - and through our partner bank Garanti Bank for the game in Turkey - as part of NBA Europe Live 2012 presented by BBVA,” said Mafe Laverde, Sponsorship Director, BBVA. “By serving as the presenting partner of NBA Europe Live, we will help bring world-class basketball to the cities of Berlin, Istanbul and Milan and through this series of games, reinforce our global sponsorship strategy. As the official bank of the NBA, we intend to provide extraordinary content to fans through our brand, promoting the values of effort, innovation and teamwork embodied by the two best basketball leagues in the world.”

Extensive community events and programs will again compliment the on-court action in each of the four cities.
As part of its NBA Cares initiative, the NBA family has helped create and build 23 places in Europe where children and families can live, learn or play in nine European countries. NBA Europe Live 2012 will also consist of a range of activities for fans in addition to the games, including interactive fan events, basketball development programs, player appearances and more.

NBA Europe Live 2012 presented by BBVA™ Schedule:

GAMES

DATE

CITY

ARENA

Boston Celtics vs. Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul

October 5

Istanbul

Ulker Sports Arena

Dallas Mavericks vs. Alba Berlin

October 6

Berlin

O2 World

Boston Celtics vs. EA7 Emporio Armani

October 7

Milan

Mediolanum Forum

Dallas Mavericks vs. FC Barcelona Regal

October 9

Barcelona

Palau Sant Jordi

About the NBA

The NBA is a global sports and media business that features three professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, and the NBA Development League. The league has established a major international presence, with offices in 15 markets worldwide, games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 47 languages, and NBA merchandise for sale in more than 125,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents. Current NBA rosters feature 78 international players from 39 countries and territories. The NBA’s digital assets include NBA TV, which is available in 59.4 million U.S. homes, and NBA.com, which averages more than 35 million page views per day, more than half of which originate from outside of North America. The NBA is the No. 1 professional sports league on social media, with more than 240 million fans and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms. Through NBA Cares, the league and its teams and players have donated more than $190 million to charity, completed more than 1.9 million hours of hands-on community service, and created more than 700 places where kids and families can live, learn, or play.

About Euroleague Basketball

A global leader in sports management, Euroleague Basketball is enjoying its second decade of sustained growth as an innovative organizer of elite competitions and events. It now manages the continent's two premier basketball competitions, the Turkish Airlines Euroleague and the Eurocup, consisting of more than 50 teams from as many as 25 countries. Euroleague Basketball also directs the Nike International Junior Tournament, which crowns a young men's continental champion each spring. Through the Euroleague Basketball Institute and Euroleague For Life, the company promotes educational and charitable initiatives as varied as coaching clinics and benefit concerts that draw guests from around the world.

About BBVA Group

BBVA is a global group that offers individual and corporate customers the most complete range of financial and non-financial products and services. It enjoys a solid leadership position in the Spanish market, where it first began its activities over 150 years ago. It also has a leading franchise in South America; it is the largest financial institution in Mexico; one of the 15th largest U.S. commercial banks and one of the few large international groups operating in China. BBVA employs 105,000 people in over 30 countries around the world, has more than 48 million customers and 900,000 shareholders.